Metropolitan Transportation Plan

Each metropolitan planning organization (MPO) must prepare a Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), in accordance with 49 USC 5303(i) , to accomplish the objectives outlined by the MPO, the State, and the public transportation providers with respect to the development of the metropolitan area’s transportation network. This plan must identify how the metropolitan area will manage and operate a multi-modal transportation system (including transit, highway, bicycle, pedestrian, and accessible transportation) to meet the region’s economic, transportation, development and sustainability goals – to name a few – for a 20+-year planning horizon, while remaining fiscally constrained.

This report examines the critical role the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) can play as the cornerstone of the metropolitan area transportation planning process, and describes how “best practice” MTPs meet planning challenges in different ways for different regions.